Container carrier

ABSTRACT

A plastic carrier of a unitary structure for holding bottles in which the carrier includes an integral endless band and bail operating to hold a bottle in substantially vertical position by positioning the carrier about a complementary bottle and pivoting the bail portion about the center line of the complementary bottle.

United States Patent Owen [54] CONTAINER CARRIER [72] inventor: RonaldCharles Owen, Harwood Heights,

[73] Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc., Chicago, 111.

[22] Filed: Dec. 17, 1969 1 [21] Appl. No.: 885,792

52 11.8. c1. ..294/s1.2, 215/100A 5s ..294/31.2, 87.2;-224/45 AA;215/100 A; 220/94 A, 952 B; 206/65 c [56] References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS 9/1961 Jenningsv et a1 ..2l5/100 A Fisher ..294/87.2 X

1451 Apr. 4, 1972 3,269,530 8/1966 Wanderer ..294/87.2 X 3,314,7124/1967 l-lohl et al.

3,463,536 8/1969 Updegrafi et al. ....215/l00 A 3,119,541 1/1964 Lynn.215/100 A Primary Examiner-Richard E. Aegerter AssistantExaminer-Douglas D. Watts Attorney-Robert W. Beart, Michael Kovac, BarryL. Clark and Jack R. l-lalvorsen [57] I ABSTRACT A plastic carrier of aunitary structure for holding bottles in which thecarrier includes anintegral endless band and bail operating to hold a bottle insubstantially vertical position by positioning the carrier about acomplementary bottle and pivoting the bail portion about the center lineof the complementary bottle.

5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures CONTAINER CARRIER BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention is generallyconcerned with a container carrier, and more particularly with carriersfor holding and positioning large bottles.

2. The Description of Prior Art In the prior art of container carriers,the use of integral plastic carriers having endless bands with pivotingbail portions can be seen in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,000,527 to Jennings andU.S. Pat. No. 3,463,536 to Updegraff. Similarly, the use of a singleflexible, piece of material for a bottle carrier is shown in U.S. Pat.No. 1,556,076 to Quincy.

None of these prior art patents disclose structure for accuratelypositioning the container in a vertical position.

In dispensing solutions from bottles to patients, it is necessary tosecurely and accurately position an intravenous solution bottle abovethe patient. This securing and positioning has been done previously bythe use of metal'straps and/or bail combinations. One commonly usedintravenous solution bottle carrier uses a metal band with an attachedwire bail means. The bail means is further clipped to one side of theband when not in use. Similarcarrier construction is found in theapparatus used for transporting large food jars or the like. This metalcombination has proven to be undesirable for various reasons. Forexample, the use of metal generally brings with it sharp edges and thedisadvantage of rusting and other deteriorating effects. The metalcombination described above also necessitates a certain amount ofpreassembly. A need, therefore, has existed for a safe and convenientcarrier which will accurately and reliably position a glass bottle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is one object of this invention to provide acontainer carrier which is both light and relatively strong and whichwill hold and carry a container in a substantially vertical position.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a containercarrier which is resilient enough to provide a very snug and 36 as shownin FIG. 2. The strip of containers can then be fit on a complementarycontainer and is of a unitary construction having a configuration whichfacilitates storage and shipment thereof.

It is another object of the invention to provide a container carrierwhich requiresno preassembly and is readily adapted for automaticapplication on bottles, which carrier is also adapted to be massproduced in strip form.

The foregoing and other'objects, features and advantages of theinvention will be apparent from the following more particulardescription.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of thecontainer carrier constructed in accordance with the present invention,embracing an IV. solution bottle and positioning the bottle in asubstantially vertical position.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the carrier.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view taken along the lines 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view taken along the lines 4-4.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of an alternate embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A series of carrier elements 10may be punched from a continuous strip and further punched to formapertures 32, 34

separated from one another by breaking a frangible connection on eitherside of the container carrier as at 44 on FIG. 2. Although the carrieris preferably made by stamping or cutting from sheet material, it canalso be manufactured by other means, such as molding.

Carrier 10 is of a generally planar configuration as shown by surface38in FIGS. 3 and 4. The carrier is comprised of an endless band 14, inthe form of an ellipse, which is unitarily connected to a generally Ushaped bail element 16. The bail element, in tum,has arms 18 whichextend laterally from, and in generally parallel relationship with theendless band. The bail element 16 and the endless band are unitarilyconnected to one another by connecting portions 20. A secondaryconnecting portion 24 is provided between the band and the bail. Thissecondary connecting portion insures that the bail will lie in a flat,non-interfering position prior to the actual use ofthe bottle. g i

The endless band 14, connecting portions 20 and 24, and arms 18 therebyform elongated apertures 32. Likewise, the endless band and bail element16, particularly handle portion 22, form another aperture 34. Asstated-above, the apertures 32, 34 and 36 are stamped or otherwiseremoved from the sheet material 30. This stamped material from theapertures may thereafter be reprocessed for a further use.

The elliptical inner periphery 28 of the band is described by a majorand a minor axis. The ellipticalnature of this endless band insures asnug and resilient fit-about a complementary container, such as ingroove 50 in'the bottle I2. Upon application of the carrier to thebottle, the minor axis is stretched outwardly and, simultaneously, themajor axis is' compressed inwardly until the generally circularconfiguration of the groove, or any other mating surface, is snugly andcontinuously received by the endless band 14.

From this, it can be shown in FIG. 1 that the endless band then ispivoted approximately in order to conform with the outer surface of thebottle and the surface 38 is snugly pressed against the surface of thebottle 12.

The container carrier is provided with connecting portion 20 to connectthe endless band 14 with the bail element 16. The positioning of thisconnecting portion on the endless band is very important in that it isnecessary to pivot the bail element relative to the endless band and yetmaintain the endless band and its complementary container held in averticalposition. This positioning is insured by the placement of theconnecting portion partially on the minor axis of the ellipse, buthaving a substantial portion of the connecting portion 20 lying on oneside of the minor axis. The bail element 16 is positioned on the side ofthe minor axis opposite the side which the substantial portion of theconnecting portions is positioned. Placement of the portion-20substantially on one side of the minor axis offsets the tendency of theband and bottle to hang at an angle other than perpendicular to areference surface, i.e. the floor or ground. This configuration will,therefore, insure that the vertical placement of the bottle, as shown inFIG. 1, will be obtained. If the minor axis of the ellipse werepositioned at the center of connecting portions 20 there would be atendency of thecontainer and the carrier combination to tilt and notobtain the substantially vertical position as shown in FIG. 1. Thistilting would occur due to the natural resiliency and construction of aunitarily formed plastic member.

- Upon the placement of the carrier on a container, the entire carrierwill deform in such a manner that the bail element will pivot about animaginary center line of a complementary container when said bailelement is moved from its horizontal position to a positionperpendicular to the endless band. This deformation of the carrier alsoresults in forming a hinge means from the inner periphery of theconnecting portion 20. Therefore,=rthe center line of the carrier iseffectively, translated a small distance from that shown in FIG. 2 dueto the deformation of the material.

A coined groove 40 is provided on the inner marginal portion of theconnecting portion 20, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. This coined groovewhich becomes positioned on a center line of the container after thedeformation discussed above, thus essentially becomes a hinge means.

While the natural physical properties of a polyethylene material wouldinsure a relative resistance to tearing, it has become desirable, due tothe delicate nature of the use to provide further protection againstfailure or tearing upon positioning of the bottle. This furtherprotection is accomplished by the coined groove 40 as described above.These coined grooves can be seen more clearly in FIG. 4 as extendingfrom the endless band to its associated arm along an inner marginalportion of each connecting portion 20. FIG. 4 is a cross-section of thecontainer carrier taken through the coined grooves 40. The grooves areshown to extend from the endless band to the arm essentially on the axisof rotation between the two elements. With the addition of these coinedgrooves, it can be shown that the relatively thin cross-section in FIG.3 is capable of sustaining the weight which would normally beencountered in a full l.V. solution bottle or an even heavier load whichmay result in use with a large food jar. It can also be shown that thecoining operation orients the molecules of the material and increasesthe density of the material, thus enhancing the tensile strength.

The ease of handling of this container carrier is furthered by theprovision of the slits 26 and the secondary connecting portions 24.These secondary portions insure that the carrier retain its planarconfiguration when packed, stored and when the container is beingprepared for automatic installation on a bottle. After the container hasbeen placed on the bottle and after the bottle is ready for use, thesecondary portion can very easily be severed by small twisting motionswhich will enable the bail element to be pivoted about the connectingportion 20. The positioning of the bail on the same plane as the bandfacilitates the storage of the bottle carrier combination. Thisfrangible connection is made possible by the slits 26 which completelypuncture a large portion of the secondary connecting portion 24.

The aperture 34 provides a convenient hand hold for separating thefrangible connection and for temporarily carrying and holding a bottle,and in the case of an l.V. solution bottle, for attaching to a hook suchas 40 in FIG. 1.

The concave inner groove portion 42 in the handle portion 22 is locatedsubstantially on the extension of the major axis of the endless bandwhen the carrier is at rest position and provides a seating arrangementwhich insures a relatively unshiftable bearing between the hook 48 andthe carrier 10. This insurance against shifting on the hook is a verydesirable feature because the immobility of the bottle is required foruniform and continuous control of the solution to a patient.

The bail element 16 with arms 18 and handle 22 will remain in asubstantially planar position when at rest. Upon the pivoting of thehandle about the connecting portion 20 it will attain and sustain thebottle in a substantially vertical position. The bail portion willultimately return to the rest position, the substantially planarrelationship with the endless band 14.

FIG. 2 discloses a generally swept-wing configuration for the containercarrier. That is, portions of the arms are shown to extend laterally ofand substantially parallel with the endless band while the remainingportions of the arms extend generally parallel to the major axis of theendless band and the handle portion 22 extends generally parallel to theminor axis of the ellipse forming the endless band. It can be seen thatthis configuration will conserve material while at the same timeproviding the necessary aperture for grasping the handle means 22.

A modified form of the carrier is shown in FIG. of the drawings, and isgenerally similar to the above described embodiment as indicated by theapplication of identical reference numerals with the suffix 0" employedto designate like parts.

In carrier 10a, an endless band 14a is unitarily connected to a bailelement 16a which is of a generally U" shaped configuration having arms18a and a handle portion 22a. The bail portion and the endless band asstated above, are unitarily connected and this unitary structure resultsfrom a connecting portion 201:. As in the above described embodiment,the connecting portions 20a lie partially on the minor axis of theellipse, but having a substantial portion of the connecting portionlying on one side of the minor axis.-

The blunt nose portion 47 forms a part of connecting portion 260, thusinsuring that a substantial portion of connecting portion 200 lies onone side of the minor axis. It should be understood that the connectingportion 200 could be of the continuous form as shown in container 10.FIG. 2, rather than the blunt, partially disconnected configuration asshown in FIG. 5.

Again similar to the above embodiment, the bail element, while at restposition, extends and is positioned on the side of the minor axisopposite the side upon which the major portion of the connecting portion200 is placed. The carrier 10a includes coined grooves 40a positioned onan inner marginal portion of each connecting portion similar to that inthe preferred embodiment element 10. The container carrier 10a also hasa bail element 16a which is shaped in a generally semi-elliptical form,which elliptical form has major and minor axes coinciding with the majorand minor axes of the endless band.

This embodiment also is made from a strip of sheet material 30a withapertures 34a and 36a punched from the material. The bail element 16a iscompletely disconnected from the band at all portions except connectionportions 20a. The bail element 16a is also in a co-planar relationshipwith the endless band when at rest position. The bail is retained inthis position primarily by the elastic memory of the material a andpartially by the frictional engagement between the inner portion of theU-shape of the bail 16a and the end portion of the major axis of theendless band, as shown in FIG. 5. This configuration, although beingdisconnected, presents a contact 46 which will retain the bail elementin the same plane as the endless band at all times except whenphysically separated.

The operation of this container carrier is similar in all respects tothe operation of the embodiment of the container carrier 10. Carrier10a, as a result of a positioning of the connecting portion 16a, willenable the endless band to snugly and uniformly engage a complementarycontainer, similar to that shown in FIG. 1, and maintain the containerin a substantially vertical position.

It can be seen that both embodiments l0 and 10a include bail elementswith arms which extend laterally from the endless band portions 14 and14a respectively. This arrangement enables the ease of pivoting the bailelement to the operational configuration as shown in FIG. 1.

It will now be appreciated that a superior plastic carrier has beenprovided for transporting and holding glass-like containers in asubstantially vertical position.

The unique positioning of connecting portions 20 and 20a insure aneffective and true control for the vertical positioning of the bottle.The provision of coined grooves 40 and 40a also give the carrier addedstrength along the hinge portion about which the bail element pivots.The handle 22 is also designed to facilitate both the gripping by handand the seating on a complementary hook for ultimate use.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown anddescribed herein, it is obvious that many structural details may bechanged without departing from the spirit and scope of the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. A container carrier of resilient, elastic and deformable low densityflat plastic sheet material of substantially uniform thicknesscomprising, an endless elliptically shaped band which defines major andminor axes thereof, the aperture defined by said band having acontinuous and uninterrupted inner peripheral edge and formed forassociation with the container so that said band is stretched anddeformed to circumferentially grip said container with said bandsubstantially flat against the circumferential surface of saidcontainer, a substantially U"-shaped integral bail element having a pairof arms and a connecting handle which extend laterally of the band andare co-planar with the band in rest position, the arms of said bailelement being integrally attached to the opposite sides of said bandacross connecting positions which are located in the vicinity of theminor axis of said band, each connecting portion being located at leastpartially on the minor axis of the band but substantially on one side ofthe minor axis, the handle being positioned, in rest position, on theside of the minor axis opposite the substantial portion of theconnecting portion, said container carrier, when assembled to acomplementary container, being stretched and deformed to permit grippingof said container with said container in a substantially verticalposition, and the connecting handle including a groove portion on itsinner periphery located substantially on the extension of the major axisof the endless band when the carrier is at rest position.

2. A container carrier of resilient, elastic and deformable low densityflat plastic sheet material of substantially uniform thicknesscomprising, an endless elliptically shaped band which defines major andminor axes thereof, the aperture defined by said band having acontinuous and uninterrupted inner peripheral edge and formed forassociation with the container so that said band is stretched anddeformed to circumferentially grip said container with said bandsubstantially flat against the circumferential surface of saidcontainer, a substantially U"-shaped integral bail element having a pairof arms and a connecting handle which extend laterally of the band andare co-planar with the band in rest position, the arms of said bailelement being integrally attached to the opposite sides of said bandacross connecting positions which are located in the vicinity of theminor axis of said band, each connecting portion being located at leastpartially on the minor axis of the band but substantially on one side ofthe minor axis, the handle being positioned, in rest position, on theside of the minor axis opposite the substantial portion of theconnecting portion, said container carrier, when assembled to acomplementary container, being stretched and deformed to permit grippingof said container with said container in a substantially verticalposition, and an inner marginal portion of each connecting portionhaving a coined groove means extending from the endless band to itsassociated arm for increasing the tear resistance of said connectingportion, said coined groove means comprising an indentation sufficientto orient the molecules about said indentation.

3. A container carrier according to claim 2 wherein the coined groovemeans is positioned relative to said band and said bail element so thatupon the defonnation of the material when the bail element is pivotedabout an imaginary center line of a complementary container the coinedgroove means is intersected by the line of greatest stress between saidband and against the circumferential surface of said container, asubstantially U"-shaped integral bail element having a pair of arms anda connecting handle which extend laterally of the band and are co-planarwith the band in rest position, the arms of said bail element beingintegrally'attache'd to the opposite sides of said band acrossconnecting positions which are located in the vicinity of the minor axisof said band, each connecting portion being located at least partiallyon the minor axis of the band but substantially on one side of the minoraxis,

the handle being positioned, in rest position, on the side of the minoraxis opposite the substantial port on of the connecting portion, saidcontainer carrier, when assembled to a complementary container, beingstretched and deformed to permit gripping of said container with saidcontainer in a substantially vertical position, and the bail elementbeing of a generally semi-elliptical form with its major and minor axescoinciding with the major and minor axes in the endless band.

5. A container carrier comprising a container-encircling body member anda handle member formed integrally therewith, said body member and itsassociated handle member being formed from a sheet of resilient anddeformable polyethylene-like plastic material, said container encirclingbody member and said handle member being formed as flat ribbon-likeshapes of substantially uniform thickness and having substantial width,said handle member being generally U-shaped, connecting portion meansjoining each leg of said handle member to said container encircling bodymember along its marginal edge, and groove means impressed along aportion of said marginal edges and across each said connecting portionsinto a portion of each leg to provide an area of reduced thickness inthe vicinity of said junctions to span the areas of substantiallygreater stress, said groove means comprising coined indentations havinga width and depth sufficient to orient the molecules about saidindentations.

1. A container carrier of resilient, elastic and deformable low densityflat plastic sheet material of substantially uniform thicknesscomprising, an endless elliptically shaped band which defines major andminor axes thereof, the aperture defined by said band having acontinuous and uninterrupted inner peripheral edge and formed forassociation with the container so that said band is stretched anddeformed to circumferentially grip said container with said bandsubstantially flat against the circumferential surface of saidcontainer, a substantially ''''U''''shaped integral bail element havinga pair of arms and a connecting handle which extend laterally of theband and are coplanar with the band in rest position, the arms of saidbail element being integrally attached to the opposite sides of saidband across connecting positions which are located in the vicinity ofthe minor axis of said band, each connecting portion being located atleast partially on the minor axis of the band but substantially on oneside of the minor axis, the handle being positioned, in rest position,on the side of the minor axis opposite the substantial portion of theconnecting portion, said container carrier, when assembled to acomplementary container, being stretched and deformed to permit grippingof said container with said container in a substantially verticalposition, and the connecting handle including a groove portion on itsinner periphery located substantially on the extension of the major axisof the endless band when the carrier is at rest position.
 2. A containercarrier of resilient, elastic and deformable low density flat plasticsheet material of substantially uniform thickness comprising, an endlesselliptically shaped band which defines major and minor axes thereof, theaperture defined by said band having a continuous and uninterruptedinner peripheral edge and formed for association with the container sothat said band is stretched and deformed to circumferentially grip saidcontainer with said band substantially flat against the circumferentialsurface of said container, a substantially ''''U''''-shaped integralbail element having a pair of arms and a connecting handle which extendlaterally of the band and are co-planar with the band in rest position,the arms of said bail element being integrally attached to the oppositesides of said band across connecting positions which are located in thevicinity of the minor axis of said band, each connecting portion beinglocated at least partially on the minor axis of the band butsubstantially on one side of the minor axis, the handle beingpositioned, in rest posiTion, on the side of the minor axis opposite thesubstantial portion of the connecting portion, said container carrier,when assembled to a complementary container, being stretched anddeformed to permit gripping of said container with said container in asubstantially vertical position, and an inner marginal portion of eachconnecting portion having a coined groove means extending from theendless band to its associated arm for increasing the tear resistance ofsaid connecting portion, said coined groove means comprising anindentation sufficient to orient the molecules about said indentation.3. A container carrier according to claim 2 wherein the coined groovemeans is positioned relative to said band and said bail element so thatupon the deformation of the material when the bail element is pivotedabout an imaginary center line of a complementary container the coinedgroove means is intersected by the line of greatest stress between saidband and said bail element when the container is carried in said bandand supported from said handle.
 4. A container carrier of resilient,elastic and deformable low density flat plastic sheet material ofsubstantially uniform thickness comprising, an endless ellipticallyshaped band which defines major and minor axes thereof, the aperturedefined by said band having a continuous and uninterrupted innerperipheral edge and formed for association with the container so thatsaid band is stretched and deformed to circumferentially grip saidcontainer with said band substantially flat against the circumferentialsurface of said container, a substantially ''''U''''-shaped integralbail element having a pair of arms and a connecting handle which extendlaterally of the band and are co-planar with the band in rest position,the arms of said bail element being integrally attached to the oppositesides of said band across connecting positions which are located in thevicinity of the minor axis of said band, each connecting portion beinglocated at least partially on the minor axis of the band butsubstantially on one side of the minor axis, the handle beingpositioned, in rest position, on the side of the minor axis opposite thesubstantial portion of the connecting portion, said container carrier,when assembled to a complementary container, being stretched anddeformed to permit gripping of said container with said container in asubstantially vertical position, and the bail element being of agenerally semi-elliptical form with its major and minor axes coincidingwith the major and minor axes in the endless band.
 5. A containercarrier comprising a container-encircling body member and a handlemember formed integrally therewith, said body member and its associatedhandle member being formed from a sheet of resilient and deformablepolyethylene-like plastic material, said container encircling bodymember and said handle member being formed as flat ribbon-like shapes ofsubstantially uniform thickness and having substantial width, saidhandle member being generally U-shaped, connecting portion means joiningeach leg of said handle member to said container encircling body memberalong its marginal edge, and groove means impressed along a portion ofsaid marginal edges and across each said connecting portions into aportion of each leg to provide an area of reduced thickness in thevicinity of said junctions to span the areas of substantially greaterstress, said groove means comprising coined indentations having a widthand depth sufficient to orient the molecules about said indentations.